9/15/2005
Division of Wildlife

Ferrets faring well in northwest Colorado

Biologists believe black-footed ferrets are breeding in the wild and establishing a self-sustaining population.

The black-footed ferret appears to be establishing a home once again in Colorado.  

Based on a weeklong counting operation in late August, biologists are confident that ferrets are thriving and breeding in the wild in northwest Colorado. Pam Schnurr, a wildlife conservation biologist with the Colorado Division of Wildlife (DOW), said that ferrets were spotted in the 20,000-acre Wolf Creek Management Area located about 20 miles northeast of Rangely.  

A total of five sightings were confirmed. At least another five animals were spotted, but those sightings could not be verified. One female that was captured had been lactating, giving evidence that she gave birth earlier in the summer.  

Schnurr said that while those numbers might seem low they are representative of a significant black-footed ferret population. The animals spend most of their lives underground and rarely come to the surface. Consequently, they are difficult to spot.  

“Ferrets are nocturnal, so counting operations are conducted at night. Making them even more difficult to find,” said Schnurr   Also, less than half of the management area was searched.  

“Seeing so many is very encouraging,” Schnurr said. “And the fact that we saw so many means that there are a lot more out there.”  

The black-footed ferret is considered to be the rarest mammal in North America and is listed as an endangered species by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). The ferret is a predator and its diet is comprised almost exclusively of prairie dogs.  

The ferrets were thought to be extinct until a population of 129 was found in Meeteetse, Wyo., in 1981. After a breakout of plague and canine distemper reduced the population to just 18, a captive breeding program was started by the Fish and Wildlife Service. Since then, about 3,000 ferrets have been bred in captivity.  

Ferrets were released back into the wild in Wyoming in 1991, in South Dakota and Montana in 1994, and in Arizona in 1998.  

The Colorado reintroduction started in 2001. Since then a total of 170 ferrets have been released in the state; 20 more will be released in October.  

Ferrets live an average of three years and females produce litters of two or three. The number of ferrets alive in Colorado is not known. Biologists estimate that a total of about 400 are alive in the wild in all the states where releases have occurred.     

The reintroduction program in Colorado is a joint project of the DOW, the USFWS and the United States Bureau of Land Management.  

#  #  #  

Editors:  A photo of a black-footed ferret can be downloaded from this website address. Please, credit the Colorado Division of Wildlife. http://wildlife.state.co.us/imagedb/images/1895.jpg

Division of Wildlife